Fashion is always about fantasy. So as designers prepare for the latest installment of New York Fashion Week, which kicks off today (September 8), they've looked far and wide for intriguing ideas that get customers so excited that they want to race into stores — or online— to buy styles they absolutely must have.

In this fashion week preview, the inspirations of top designers and up-and-comers who are likely to be the next big name in fashion come from around the world — the sun-splashed shores of the Italian resort of Capri, the streets of Panama, the steel-tinged edges of the New York skyline and tropical, multicultural Houston. (It's the first time in my more than a decade of covering fashion that a Texas city has inspired a New York-based designer to dream big.)

While designers have picked their inspirations, they haven't quite figured out what to show their looks on the runways during the social media age. Some designers, like Tom Ford and Rebecca Minkoff, are highlighting styles that can be purchased immediately. But most designers are still following the established rules of unveiling designs that will appear in stores next spring. They want to create buzz and give customers something to dream about.

Inspiration: The starting point for the SUNO spring 2017 collection was a series of 10 Mary Cassatt Japanese woodblock prints. They depict intimate feminine scenes – a woman bathing, a mother and child, a woman thoughtfully composing a letter. Using simple lines and soft colors – inky blues, corals and creams, she captures the simple beauty of these everyday moments.

"For this collection we wanted to focus on creating something that felt somehow closer and more intimate. We played with warmer colors, in gentle Japonesque florals, embroidered motifs that float atop soft ethereal fabrics, and wide set plaids that frame feminine silhouettes.

"In terms of styling we continued to look at proportions – slightly shorter this season, with a focus on unusual closures – back ties and unexpected volumes. As always, we continue to explore contrasts, with boxy pinstripe pants and pullovers, creating an overall look of cool, relaxed femininity."

The Nicholas K collection is 70 percent sustainable this season. Stemming from the inspiration, Wadi Rum (a protected area of desert wilderness in Jordan), the collection showcases high fashion pieces made from sustainable materials. Using fabrics made from organic cotton or alpaca fur as well asv egetable dyed leathers and tencel, the dramatic designs of this season are using conserved materials the same way the desert landscape of Jordan is being conserved.

Inspiration: “With this seasons collection, I am honoring a myriad of unnamed muses who inspired not only myself, but the world of arts and culture during the prolific Parisian La Belle Époque (The Beautiful Era).”

Inspiration: "When the fashion world makes references to classic, timeless and aristocratic, it's often shorthand for European. But, if we are really talking about humanity, the most classic, timeless aesthetics and cultures are African. It's our duty to acknowledge this at a time when Americans are taking to the streets to remind us that Black Lives Matter. We need to amplify those voices and use our collective influence to push for change.

"Last season, I used male models to show the irrelevance of gender norms. We've still got miles to go in making fashion diverse, so this season I decided to use all African American models. You only have an hour to make a statement, so it needs to be bold and implemented 100 percent towards the cause."

inspiration: For Spring/Summer 2017, the collection is pure with crisp whites and clean lines. Inspired by the formality of uniforms and the charm they evoke, Ji explores different ways to extend shirting – more playful and clever, accented with grommets and thoughtfully placed silver brooches in the shape of pyramids and cubes, to connect mandarin collars or link cuffs together.

Inspiration: “Spring/summer '17 was inspired by the exotic plant life of Hawaii. As the collection came together, my now husband and I were in the middle of planning our Honeymoon to the islands and were incredibly captured by the lush landscape.”